Washington (CNN) - Some political experts have said that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, in a battle with public employee unions over the right to collective bargaining, has overreached in his attempts to shore up the state's budget shortfall.

"I think it'd be fair to categorize the proposal (to cut union bargaining) as an overreach," said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor David Canon. "Maybe the biggest reason for that claim is the fact that he didn't campaign on this."Full Story

soundoff(25 Responses)

Why does the repugs hates union do much, I was working at a factory once, and all those repugs does is criticize the unions, i didn't know at the time that the unions were more likely to vote dems then. The unions are necessary to keep middle class making money to stimulate the economy. Rich folks usually takes the money out of the economy, and into Banks in different countries. That's why the repugs keep saying we are broke, but they steady packing the money on the rich, as they rob our economy of revenue.

March 1, 2011 10:43 am at 10:43 am |

rachel

He did over reach

Can someone explain something to me?

How can the same politicans/pundits who were screaming about people who make 200,000-250,000 not really beign rich and shouldn't have a higher tax now scream that teachers, firefighters etc have too much when the majority of them make less than 200,000? It's mind boggling.

March 1, 2011 10:48 am at 10:48 am |

AJP

Apparently the Wisconsin governor does not believe in allowing people to bargain as a collective group.

I for one believe this appears to look like the government exerting control for its people.

I thought the Republican's believed in less government. This is not the case in Wisconsin.

March 1, 2011 10:51 am at 10:51 am |

duke

Yes they did!
In their rush to get some "political get back" they've exposed to the american people that they intend to go as conservative as their middle eastern brethren who like to hang onto power for 40years and then hand the country over to their son who is next in line to dictate to the people and crush the rights of all women!

March 1, 2011 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

Rick McDaniel

Yes. He blamed the employee unions for the failures of government, and that was both inaccurate and unfair.

March 1, 2011 10:56 am at 10:56 am |

PalmReader

"I think it'd be fair to categorize the proposal (to cut union bargaining) as an overreach,"

Walker campaigned as a CEO with business experience. Problem with that, CEOs really aren't in the business of seeing their employees as people, but rather, they focus on their employees as statistics only. As Governor, Walker hasn't quite accepted that he is now in the position of having to focus on his constituents as people first, and statistics last. He's still in CEO mode of my way or the highway . . . and not used to getting push back. He isn't willing to compromise, a required expectation ALL governors ought to understand. It's one thing to fire your disobedient employees when you are CEO, but quite another thing to think you have the power to fire anyone whom disagrees with you when you become Governor. A really GOOD leader knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. I doubt many CEOs are able to understand the difference, or willing to concede that they are not as powerful in the public sector as they once were in the private sector.

March 1, 2011 10:56 am at 10:56 am |

rs

Well, certainly. Like unions or not, busting a union has NOTHING to do with the economic health of the state. It has EVERYTHING to do with ultra-right Republican policy to have an impoverished working class. In simple terms, the budget was Walker's excuse to go after the Union, just like WMDs were Bush's excuse to make a war in Iraq.

March 1, 2011 10:56 am at 10:56 am |

Bill from GA

It is obvious to anyone paying attention that the problem with unions is that their management supports Democrats. This irks Big Business, repugs, and the Fox Propaganda Network.
It seems that unions these days accept concessions as a necessary evil. That is more than the repugs will do, as in: No return to sustainable tax rates!!

March 1, 2011 10:58 am at 10:58 am |

Susan Grant

Did Wisconsin Governor overreach in union battle???????NO! the fact is he didn't go far enough, fast enough to diminish the unions in Wisconsin. Big Unions have done more to destroy this country than any enemy around the world. All unions across the USA need to be abolished, as all they do is take dues and give them to political candidates. The only people in unions making any money are the union bosses who have skimmed off the top since the inception of unions. We need to curtail the power union bosses wield and keep OUR dues for our retirement, not the union bosses retirement.

March 1, 2011 10:58 am at 10:58 am |

Charlie from the North

Did Wisconsin governor overreach in union battle?

Wait, wait I know this one. I've been waiting for this question to show up. Every time I see the Gieko commercial where that guy with the deep vioce wearing the trench-coat asks "Can Geiko save you money?" Then asks a really obvious question like "Does Elmer Fudd have a problem pronouncing "Rs". Is underwater Electric guitar playing a bad idea? They get pretty clever in those commercials. So:

Did Wisconsin governor overreach in union battle? Is it a bad idea to bring a date to your own wedding?

March 1, 2011 10:58 am at 10:58 am |

American

Heck yeah Walker overreached. The dictator govenor lost credibility when he turned (an agreed upon) budget issue into his partisan nonsense against American workers' bargaining rights.

The majority of Americans from all affiliations support the workers, not Walker...

March 1, 2011 11:01 am at 11:01 am |

duke

If the oil company has broken a record for profits over the last 64 straight quarters,
Why no cuts for them?

March 1, 2011 11:02 am at 11:02 am |

Tom

Over reach? What does that even mean? All I know is home owners and tax payers get an ever increasing bill to fund professions that in the majority out pay thier own. The vocal few hold the silent many hostage with Union Mafia thug tactics. We'll march, we'll protest, we'll walkout of the class rooms.. well GO.. and dont let the door hit you on the way out. Do you really think with unemployment where its at you couldn't find overly competent engineers and unemployed manufacturing science types to become highly paid teachers? Im thinking about it. Been unemployed 2 years with a BSME.

March 1, 2011 11:03 am at 11:03 am |

B

Overreach? This guy is nothing more than a corporate Whore and should resign.

The last thing we need in this country right now is someone trying to destroy labor and the middle class that built this country.

He is all about taking us all backwards to the early 1900s with absolute-Corporate control-over people and the Government. Corporations / GOP already OWN the Supreme Court and most of Congress.

March 1, 2011 11:04 am at 11:04 am |

once upon a horse

well at least this guy has made a name for himself....you DON'T mess with union folks when you talk about jobs and their paychecks. Even the loud mouth Tea Party folks backed down a bit on this one. The middle class is the backbone of the country and a lot of them are union workers. Heck even pro athletes are union members, they should be out there marching too. You can like or dislike unions, I've been on jobs with and without them and I have mixed feelings about them, but the union jobs I did have got me a good salary and kept lousey bosses off your back. Republicans for some reason seem to think only corporations should make profit and workers don't deserve a livable salary. This is why I could not understand how such normally blue collar areas of our country voted to put them in the House. Perhaps a lesson learned because polling today shows if Walker was running for office in Wisconsin now he would lose BIG TIME!

March 1, 2011 11:14 am at 11:14 am |

Margo

Polls are showing a significant majority of voters believe that public employees either make less than they should, or just barely enough. The voters also support collective bargaining for public employees. They also prefer to raise taxes or to find other ways to cut the budget in order to solve fiscal problems. This issue will eventually bite the governor of Wisconsin.

March 1, 2011 11:15 am at 11:15 am |

Sniffit

Clearly he did not....not when unions have what Boehner calls "machineguns pointed at the heads of government officials."

Tactless, insulting, obnoxious buffoons.

It won't end here. It's not about the "will of the people" for the GOP. Their power play began with the SCOTUS and Ciizens United, then Astroturf Frankenstein. Now that they've secured governorships in a bunch of states, step one was to eviscerate the largest source of Dem organization and funding, etc. Step 2? Just wait for the redistricting to start...

March 1, 2011 11:16 am at 11:16 am |

Biggge

Stay strong Wisconsin, the GOP IS GOING CRAZY.. After Union, women rights , middle class workforce, I have not read one thing the Govern or the GOP leadership that has ask the wealthy to contribute to the budget issue.... We have to hold these guys accountable.... Also check the story on the GOP assult on Planned Parenthood and abortion rights, there is a assult on women rights going on in America.....

March 1, 2011 11:25 am at 11:25 am |

terry, va

Is the article biased or what? A union college professor saying the Gov overreached in a union battle with his teacher colleagues. He is as bad as Obummie, a union rebel, saying the union is being vilified. What BS !! This country needs to realize that we have a community organizing rebel in charge and not a President.

March 1, 2011 11:32 am at 11:32 am |

c'mon

Gov of Wisconsin,
There is no need to continue waiting for those democrats, those representatives of the People. For Democracy has come you. The democrats you await need not be there for the People have come! Let them back in; then plead your case and vote. Please include in your vote the Will of the People you represent and I am not talking about that figment of Koch you spoke with on the phone:)

March 1, 2011 11:38 am at 11:38 am |

ConservaFascists

Overeach is an understatement. It's obvious that after that fake Koch brother conversation what his intentions are. He wants to dismantle public unions. His interest are clearly not in the best interest of the people.

March 1, 2011 11:43 am at 11:43 am |

GI Joe

The Delusional Dictator of the USA - and he's from Wisconsin - not the SOUTH !!!!!!!

March 1, 2011 11:46 am at 11:46 am |

Golden Girl

Absolutely! And allowing his personal vendetta to come in the way of his state's economic affairs, is irresponsible.